Railroad-spike



(No Modl.)

-I-I. GREER.

RAILROAD SPIKE. No. 258,052. Patented May 16, 1882.

NA Pneus. Prmm'uimmpn-r. wa-nangeq. o, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD GREER, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE H. CHRISTY, TRUSTEE, OF SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming" part of Letters Patent No. 258,052, dated May 16, 1882.

Application filed March 3, 1882. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HOWARD GREEE, of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Spikes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichlike letters indicating like parts- Figure l is a view in perspective of my improved spike, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof in the plane of the line :v w of Fig. l.

The general features of the spike herein shown ale made the subject-matter of a separate application; and the present application relates to a spike having more specifically the construction uow to be described. The shank B is of a T form in cross-section, with the back rib, b', tapering in depth from at or near the upper end, orat or about the wood-line, down to, or nearly to, the point. Each of the side ribs, b, tapers in thickness from the point of junction with the head down to a point at or about the wood-line, but preferably below, as indicated at a. From at 0r about this pointV each side rib is made substantially of uniform thickness in the direction of its length down to within a short distance of the point, as indicated at a', and thence, as at a2, each rib tapers to the point. This construction gives me in some respects an exceedingly advantageous disposition ofthe metal with reference to securing strength and. holding power with a moderate amount-oi' material. For example,

the severest breaking strain to which a railway-spike is ordinarily subjected acts between the point of its engagement with the rail-Han ge and a point at, near, or a little below the woodline, and from this point down, where a less degree of strength is required, a maximum degree of holdingV power is desired. These desirable ends I secure by heavy side ribs, a, at the upper end, which taper down and merge into the comparatively thin parts a. The tapering end a2 opens a path during driving for the entrance of the straight-sided part a', so

the latter has a good degree of holding power.

Modifications in other parts may be made as desired, and the improvement described may be applied to spikes wherein the lip c is made so as to project laterally to one side over one or the other of the ribs b, or backward over the back rib, b', a broad bearing-surface being added immediately under the base of the lip to take the wear of the edge ot' the railange.

The spike thus formed may be made in any of the ways known to the art, as by casting, forging, or rolling, or by a combination of the two latter operations.

l claim herein as my invention- A railroad-spike, three-ribbed or of 'T form in cross-section, wherein the side ribs constitutingthe T-head are made heavy and tapering at-` their upper ends, as at a, of uniform thickness, thence nearly to the point, as at a', and thence tapering, as at a2, to the point, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HOWARD GREER.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. LoEsoH, J Aeon GREMLY, Jr. 

